The Two by Will Carver

Author:Will Carver
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781409049517
Publisher: Random House

V

I AWAKE ON the floor alone. Gail is gone. The passion of the moment was not followed by the same level of afterglow. That’s not how it should have finished.

The half-full bottle of Merlot still lies on its side next to me, but the room is awash with a brilliant white glow blocking out the constant change of the traffic lights on the crossroads that normally perpetuates against my back wall. I roll from my side to my back to see the chain is not fastened on the door like it usually is when I go to sleep.

She let herself out.

I debate missing my run so as to avoid my routine morning greeting on return to the building. But that will make things awkward and I do still need her.

Things will be slightly different today, though. The newspaper headline will not be a shock. I was there, I know what happened. I witnessed the ritual.

I saw her.

She is Celeste Varrick.

She offered you her sacrifice.

She asked you for your blessing.

Flashes of my coital spontaneity start to flicker in my mind, interspersed with images of my wife. The only release from disgust is through prayer.

I roll over and get myself into a kneeling position, and I ask the Lord for guidance. I ask forgiveness of my actions, that only one woman occupies the space in my heart, that I crave only to be with her again and not with neighbouring temptresses. I say that I have realised my weaknesses and my full attention is on the task at hand.

I ask the Lord what he will have me do next.

I beg for more information so that I may fulfil the required preparations. I tell him I now know the face of the ritualist and implore that the time is near that I may stop her.

When I finally open my eyes, my body remains rigid, my knees magnetised to the floor, a statue of reflective genuflection. My Lord has confirmed that it is time. I am to take Celeste Varrick when the Sun is at the height of its power, on the longest day of the year.

She will call it Litha.

I will call it retribution.

The Lord extols my faith thus far but adds an exclamation.

My Lord declares that the time nears to capture Celeste Varrick, and that I will be reunited with my wife.

That there is still some work to do.

He informs me that I am to make a monster of her and in order to do that, I must first make a monster of myself.

On the summer solstice there will be a second victim, and this sacrifice will fall foul of the same ritualism that so disgusts me. He tells me that she will be another sufferer that is subjected to the ceremony of the previous victims.

He advises me that I will detain Celeste Varrick on this night.

He instructs me that, on this occasion, I am to perform her ritual.

I must demonise her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.